Shigure's Son
by Hatori's Snowdrop Princess
Summary: It's sequel time! Shigure's son is back in his own story as he unfolds the truths that were never known to his father and his friends before they died. Some people that you thought were dead aren't. Find out who's still alive and who's really dead.
1. Default Chapter

_It's been said that my mother died of a broken heart. His own family had killed my father and my mother had to raise me on her own. We struggled throughout my entire childhood. I'm now sixteen and my mother is dead. My father can't help me and I don't even know my own family. I am Ichigo Sohma, I am cursed with the vengeful spirit of the dog, passed on by my father._

* * *

_**Chapter 1: Finding My Way**_

_"Sohma, Ichigo," the teacher called._

_"Yes, Sir?" he replied._

_"Come with me!"_

_"What is it? What happened? You seem awfully worried about something."_

_"You're mother has been found unconscious, she wants to be with you. She hasn't gotten much more time to live."_

_"I understand."_

_Ichigo left the school and rushed home right away. Nurses and doctors were running through the house. He made his way to his mother's bedside and sat with her hand in his._

_"Ichigo, my time is up," Reiko coughed._

_"No, Mother, you'll be all right," he promised, all though he knew what the outcome would be._

_"No, Ichigo. I need you to listen to me. When I die you get all that I have and you must take shelter from the rest of your family. Your father had relatives that will help you. I have left you a boat ticket to Japan. You need to find a man named Yuki Sohma," Reiko explained._

_"No, Mother, when you die I won't leave here. I want to always be with you!"_

_"I'm in your heart my son. I will always be there with you no matter where you go. Never forget who you are never forget anything that you have endured and experienced and cherish each moment you spend in your lifetime and grant happiness to the woman you will care more about than anyone else in the world. Just like your father, Shigure Sohma. Don't forget and always remember this, I love you my son, my Ichigo," Reiko spoke her final words and she closed her eyes for the final time._

_"Mother! Mother!"_

_In the obituaries it stated that her death was unknown. She wasn't old and she wasn't sick, she was in good condition. Ichigo believed that his mother had died of a broken heart._

**Present Day**

"All boarding for Japan!" called the man from the boat.

Ichigo ran on board and presented his ticket to him. Ichigo was then led to a nice room on the boat that he would be staying in. It seemed familiar to him, but he didn't know how. Images of a man in a dress and a boy who dressed like a girl flashed before his mind as he looked down one corridor.

"Weird," he breathed.

"I look just like my father," he said as he looked at himself in a mirror and looked at his mother and father's wedding picture. "Mom did say that I was just like him before she died. She said it all of the time and every time that she looked at me. How am I supposed to find this Yuki person if I don't even know what he looks like?"

Just then a boy around his age walked by his room. He wore traditional Chinese clothes and had bright orange hair.

"Weird color. I wonder what kind of dye he uses, it's so vibrant," he thought and he stepped outside.

The boy turned around and looked at him.

"So you're him?" he said. "There doesn't seem to be anything so great about you. Miss Reiko said you seemed special. You just look like your dad," he continues with a sigh.

"Excuse me? Do I even know you?" Ichigo asked.

"Well, I guess it's only proper if I tell you my name. The name is Kyo, Kyo Sohma. You must be Ichigo. Am I right?"

"Sohma? You're a Sohma too? Uh, can you tell me who this Yuki guy is? My mother wanted me to meet him."

"Yuki? Yeah, I know him. He's my dad."

"Oh. Really? Well, can you take me to him then?"

"Uh, sure."

Ichigo followed Kyo up to another level and opened the door to a larger room. There was a woman sitting at the dresser brushing her beautiful long brown hair. She turned and looked at the two.

"Hey, Mom I found him."

"Good job, Kyo! I'm so proud of you. Bring him to your father now."

"Yes, Mother."

Yuki sat comfortably in a bed and looked up from his book. He smiled at him.

"Hello, you're Ichigo aren't you?" he greeted.

"Yes, Sir. I'm Ichigo Sohma it's nice to meet you," he said with a bow.

"So your mother raised you to be a gentleman, unlike your father."

"Yuki, Shigure wasn't a bad person. He did take me in after all. Hello, I'm Tohru," Tohru said to him.

"Oh! My mom said that besides her you knew about the secret!"

"Yes, and then I learned a lot about the Sohma family and became part of it at first by name when I married Yuki, then by blood when I gave birth to our son, Kyo," she replied happily.

"Mom…" Kyo grunted.

"I still can't believe we named him that…" Yuki sighed.

"Yuki, the night of Kyo's death was the night that he was conceived. It wasn't right for us to be so joyous without paying our respects to Kyo's death."

"Yeah, well, I still can't believe we named him that. How was Uo after that?"

"She began to feel the emotional pain and is still recovering little by little. But, I'm sure that she'll be fine," Tohru replied brightly.

"Going back to Ichigo's previous statement, it had appeared that many people knew of our secret then and still do. But, it doesn't really matter now, does it?" Yuki continued.

"Uh, no, no not at all. I was wondering… Who killed my father?" Ichigo asked.

"A person in our family. Of course, it was to be expected. The way your mother and father escaped to America. It led to a lot of deaths. Many people who helped died to help them. They really wanted to carry out the last wish of their friend Ayame," Tohru replied.

Tohru had seen Yuki's anger and fear. Even though it seemed that he hated his brother, he really did care for him. He knew deep in his soul that his brother was just trying his best to fix their unchained relationship. It was so very hard on Yuki that Kyo had died too. He could never fully hate Kyo the way people thought he did. When Kyo needed help Yuki was there. If he had really hated Kyo then he never would have helped him. He would never have spoken to him. After Kyo's death it had become clear to him that Kyo was a very important person in Yuki's life, what he really felt toward Kyo was envy. Horrible, green envy.

"I hate this family. This family took my father. I can tell from what all of you have said. Mom, Miss Tohru, you Yuki, my father was a great man that I never got to meet. I hate this family with all of my heart and soul," Ichigo said suddenly.

The two adults and their offspring looked at him.

"Don't say that. You don't really know everyone. Not every one is bad. A lot of people loved your father very much," Tohru comforted.

"Then who killed him? Who was it?" Ichigo asked again.

"Akito, Akito killed your father. But, he's long dead. Akito gave the order to have your father killed and my brother, Ayame. Akito was killed by the person he trusted most, that person was a man named Hatori," Yuki replied, cringing every time he had to say the name 'Akito'.

"Hatori? Can I meet him?" Ichigo asked.

Tohru and Yuki looked at each other. Kyo looked puzzled.

"Who's Hatori? And Akito, who's he? Why haven't you told me any of this yet?" Kyo asked stubbornly.

"Don't interrupt, Kyo," Yuki snapped.

"You're hiding something. Both of you and I know it!" Kyo stated again.

"Kyo, shut up!" Yuki shouted.

"No, this boy comes into your life and you tell him things I never even got to know? Who is this kid? Why is he so special? Why do you love him so much? WHY?" Kyo shouted.

"Kyo! Learn your place!" Yuki ordered.

"I know my place! I-" Kyo began.

Kyo's face beat red. He looked at his father. Yuki's face was angry.

"Shut up, Kyo! You have no idea what I had to go through! I have my reasons! You should learn to shut up! You stupid, Cat! Why don't you ever shut up?" Yuki shouted, his voice full of rage, his entire body shaking.

Kyo looked at his father with disgust. He got up off of the floor and walked out of the room/

**Back in the room**

"Yes, you may meet, Hatori. Soon, as soon as we arrive in Japan," Yuki replied to Ichigo after calming down.

"Thank you, thank you so much, Yuki," Ichigo replied.

* * *

This was really more of a catch up chapter. I know it seems a little rush but, I think you'll like this.

W-well, ahem, it's been a while. How have you all been? Enjoy what ever holiday you celebrated? Well, anyways, how do you like my new story? It's pretty good if I do say so myself. It could be better, but I'm satisfied… for now. So now the story unfolds. What happened all of those long 16 years? Find out in the rest of the story… eventually! Questions? Comments? Feel free to ask… as long as you follow my policy, which is, in case you forgot… NO FLAMES! TTFN. Ta Ta For Now!


	2. Picking Up Where We Were Long Forgotten

HEY NOW! LONG TIME NO SEE!

* * *

Chapter 2: Picking Up Where We Were Long Forgotten

Kyo sat in his dark cabin staring out the window. A knock at the door made his ears perk up.

"Go away!" he snapped.

"Kyo, it's Mom," Tohru called.

Kyo rose off of his bed and walked toward the door in the darkness. Kyo opened the door and winced at the light from the hall.

"Kyo, you asked before why you had two beds in your room. Ichigo will be staying with you. Please get along. Good night," Tohru explained.

Ichigo stepped inside and Kyo flicked the light switch.

"You can have that bed," Kyo grunted, pointing at the bed diagonal from his.

"Thanks."

The two boys lay in their beds a few minutes later, both staring at the ceiling above them.

"So, why does your dad dislike you so much?" Ichigo asked.

"That's kind of personal," Kyo replied.

"Sorry."

"I remind him of someone he used to know. That someone died on the same day that I was conceived. I'm not sure how it happened but it did," Kyo explained with a sigh.

"I see. It's not that I can hate this family that much I guess. Do you like this family, Kyo?"

"No, they shun the cat. I'm like you in a way my father hates his family even though the man who tortured him is dead. He kind of cut ties with them."

"So, have you ever met this Hatori person?"

"Yes."

"Is he nice."

"I suppose. We don't talk much. Hatori likes to keep to himself, most Sohmas do. Why are you so open?"

"My mother always said that it wasn't good to keep your feelings locked up inside and you should ask many questions to gain appropriate knowledge."

"You're like my mother," Kyo laughed.

"Really? How?"

"She loves referring to my grandmother. My mom lost her mother when she was in high school. But, it appears that my grandmother never left. She lives in my mother."

"That's kind of nice. Your mother is so kind but, your father is almost the opposite. Was he always so bitter?" Ichigo inquired.

"According to my mother he was more like a sentimental man with a rare hot temper. My father used to be very strong."

"He's not strong anymore?"

"My father was maimed by his family before my mother himself, Hatori, and myself could escape. My mother struggled to take care of the two men. So many others have been affected by what happened. You'll probably meet them later. Let's sleep now."

"Yes, tomorrow's a busy day."

The two fell into a deep sleep until the sun awoke them the next morning.

* * *

"Good morning," Tohru greeted cheerfully in the dining room.

"Where's dad?" Kyo asked.

"Oh, he'll be here soon. He had to take care of something. Why don't you two get breakfast? We'll dock in a few hours. Are you packed?"

"Yes," the two answered.

Everyone sat down at the table with their meals. Yuki's was under a napkin so that it wouldn't get cold. The three of them sat waiting for Yuki. They waited ten minutes and Tohru decided to go retrieve him.

Tohru went back to her room and found Yuki sitting in his chair all ready to go.

"Yuki, how long have you been sitting there?" Tohru questioned.

"Long enough. Are they up?"

"You mean Kyo and Ichigo? Yes, they're waiting for you. Are you okay?"

"Yes, it's just that I shouldn't have yelled at him like that last night. Kyo's long dead but I see some of Kyo inside of him."

"I see it too. Maybe Kyo is watching over him making sure that he'll be all right."

"Tohru, I love him," Yuki choked.

"I know you do. He knows you love him deep inside himself. Don't worry about it."

Tohru took Yuki's head into her hands and gently moved it up to look at her. She then wiped away the small amount of tears that he had mustered. His son was the cat and he was the rat. Although his grudge was deep against the old Kyo the new one, his son was his son and nothing could change that. He used to hate the cat and now he needs to show the cat that he loves him.

"Tohru, I don't think I'd be sane if you were to leave me with him."

"Yes you would. Come on, let's go they're waiting for us."

"Yes."

Tohru pushed Yuki out of the room shutting the door behind her and entered the dining room.

"Good morning, Father," Kyo said bowing his head a little bit.

"Good morning, Yuki," Ichigo greeted with a smile.

"Good morning, Kyo, Ichigo. Did you sleep well, Kyo?"

"Yes."

"That's good."

"Aw, Yuki's really trying," Tohru thought happily.

"So, did you have a good night."

"It was all right I suppose."

"Meeting him half way," Tohru considered.

Soon the meal was complete and everyone departed for his or her own activities.

Kyo found a knack for beating his relative in swimming competitions. Yuki spent time with Tohru playing a game of Rich Man, Poor Man, Tohru being the victor.

The boat docked and they departed.

* * *

"So we're back," Yuki sighed as he looked at the boat docks of Japan. "This is the last place that Ayame was able to be a free man."

"Try not to think about it," Tohru reminded.

"Yeah."

A cab came and the four of them got in. Within a few hours they were in Japan's countryside and in front of their house. The driver was tipped and paid and they brought their luggage and themselves inside.

"Hatori we're home! Oh, and Ichigo welcome to our home. You'll be staying in Kyo's room," Tohru announced.

"Go ahead, his room is right over there," Kyo whispered.

Ichigo knocked on the door and it opened. Hatori's now very thin form appeared and he looked at the boy before him.

"Shigure?" he tried.

"No, I'm his son, Ichigo."

"It's like seeing a ghost," Hatori breathed. "Come in."

* * *

The chapter is short and I wrote it on two reviews. 


	3. Memories

Being super emotional I love the reviews I got and cried. Thanks to all of those who support me!

* * *

Chapter 3: Memories

Ichigo stepped inside the dark room and looked at Hatori's shelved wall. Pictures sat on the hand painted planks of wood. Kana was there next to the picture of the Mabudachi Trio.

"Wow, is this my father?" Ichigo asked.

Hatori looked up and picked up the picture. He touched Shigure's face and stared at Ichigo.

"Can you see the resemblance? You and your father are alike in many ways," Hatori told him.

"I hope this isn't rude but, how did my father die?"

"You have the right to know. He was shot to death. Actually, I myself am not sure how he died. It was quite sudden. Do you know that your mother and father fled from here so that they could all try to escape the family?"

"Yes," Ichigo replied quietly.

"Well, they killed him when he went out. That's what your mother wrote in a letter about a year after they left. Are you afraid?"

"Of what?"

"That you'll always be alone? That bastard, that dead bastard took everything away from me. He took my fiancée and my best friends but I wouldn't let him take me. No, now he's dead and I'm glad. I killed the man that murdered your father."

Ichigo backed away a little as Hatori began to look sadistic.

"I'm sorry," Hatori apologized. "You should go right now things get a little strange with me now. Good- bye."

Ichigo left the room and made his way back to Kyo.

"How'd it go?" Kyo inquired from behind a magazine.

"It went pretty well. How strange do things get with Hatori?"

"Well, last time I spent about an hour with him and he thought he saw Akito and threw a chair at me. My mom says he wasn't always like that but something is head screwed up when my uncle was killed."

"So… He's crazy?"

"A little but he's a nice guy. We're going to your dad's old house tomorrow. My mom and dad used to live there too. Kyo was there and random people would just wonder in or outside. Do you want to come? Hatori is coming. The house was on fire once but my dad saved it in case we ever got to meet you. A lot of stuff is left."

"Sure, maybe I can find out more about my dad."

" I'm going to take a short cat nap just before lunch. Good night."

Kyo tuned around and slipped under the covers. Kyo stared out his window and at the sea.

"Sometimes I wish that we could all be a free as the ocean. That way everyone would be alive and we could all be happy," Kyo told him. "Don't tell anyone I said that or I'll kill you."

"I won't. It's a nice thought though. Maybe then my dad would still be alive."

"Yeah."

The boys fell asleep just as Yuki sat in the kitchen watching Tohru began to cook the rice.

"So, tomorrow we're going back? We haven't been there in fifteen years. Do you think it's okay to take Hatori there? He's not exactly stable," Yuki asked.

"I'm sure he'll be fine! It'll remind us of all the good times we had in that house. Now that he's gone we should think of all the fun times we've had!"

"Right, we'll have to remember that stupid cat."

"Don't be like that."

The day finished and made it's way into night, night turned into morning and it pried open Kyo's sleeping eyes. Kyo looked over and saw Ichigo's bed made. Kyo got up and went into Hatori's room.

"Hatori, we're going to Shigure's house today," Kyo announced.

"I know," Hatori replied from his desk.

"Was he really your best friend?"

"Yes, him, Ayame, and I grew up together. I wish I wasn't the last one left. Once I lost a woman that I loved more than life. I thought that I would never feel pain like that ever again, then Shigure died and it hurt even more. That woman didn't die she went away and Shigure is dead. It's a big difference and it hurts me more than losing Kana ever could," Hatori began and then drifted into talking to himself.

Kyo left and met his mother in the kitchen.

"Good morning, Kyo. Ichigo is packing the car with your dad. Would you like some breakfast before we leave?" Tohru greeted.

"I'll just take a bagel with me."

Hatori came out of his room and followed Tohru to the car with Kyo trailing behind. Tohru sat behind the wheel and the car moved up the hill and into the city. Ichigo watched the scenery speed past him in a blur. The city was much bigger than the one that he used to live in with his mother. The car voomed to the edge of a forest and the car drove through a hidden driveway. Hatori could see himself driving down this same rode with Ayame next to him.

"I remember this place," Hatori muttered.

They got out of the car and walked onto the familiar wooden porch. They took of their shoes and stepped inside the old house. Tohru walked up to her old room and sat on the memorable plush bed. She reached for the hat that she had left behind and put her head down. Kyo helped his father up the stairs and Yuki went into his own room. His desk was still there but his windowed wall was nothing but ash.

"This is where you slept, Dad?" Kyo asked.

"Yes, this is where I used to live in this room away from everyone else. It was quiet and peaceful," Yuki recalled.

Hatori wandered into Shigure's old office with Ichigo behind him. The office was still intact and the books assembled full of dust on the shelves. Ichigo picked up a book and Hatori snatched it away.

"You don't want to read that," he warned remembering Shigure's writing very clearly.

"Why?"

"It's not appropriate for someone your age."

"Oh."

"You're father was very interesting. He was a writer he had various pen names and sold many books while he lived here. He wrote almost everything on these shelves. He fooled around and drove his editor to a point that made her suicidal. When he fled she did miss him. She became nothing and got married to another writer. She loved your father. She comes here often," Hatori explained. "Well, what a coincidence. Hello, Mitchan."

Mitchan looked up and smiled, "Hatori! It's so good to see you! I was afraid you were dead!"

Hatori looked at her as she stared at Ichigo.

"Sensei! Sensei! Is that you? Hatori said you were dead!"

Mitchan reached out and grabbed at Ichigo's arm.

"I'm not Shigure. I'm his son, Ichigo," Ichigo interrupted.

Mitchan looked him over again and blinked, "Oh, I see it now. You kind of look like that woman that I saw a picture of."

"Thanks."

Hatori picked up a pen and started to stab at Shigure's desk.

"What are you doing?" Mitchan requested.

"I have to step outside, excuse me."

"I guess Hatori just doesn't do well with others around," Ichigo thought.

Yuki and Tohru set off into Kyo's old room. The old cat's books were still around the room but something was new. A woman's clothes were in the room and they weren't coated in dust like everything else. All of Kyo's clothes were clean and the room was tidy.

Downstairs their son searched for the bathroom and when found he entered it.

"Man, I gotta pee," Kyo breathed.

Kyo began to unzip he pants and he began to pee.

"Wow, that feels better."

He zipped his pants back up and stared down at the toilet and flushed. A withered rose petal slipped off of the sink and a curtain opened.

"Mom? Dad?" Kyo tried. "Ichigo? Hatori?"

No reply came and he flushed the toilet. He looked into the mirror as he washed his hands and saw a hand come out from behind the curtain. It grabbed a towel and Kyo turned around and slid the curtain open. A gun was pointed at his head and he stopped.

* * *

This is fun! I'm on a role! I just hope I can get this done by the end of summer! Bye- bye, now! 


	4. Unable To Let Go

Hey! Finished 3 and went right onto 4! Let's go!

* * *

Chapter 4: Unable To Let Go

"Who are you? What are you doing in my house?" the owner of the gun demanded.

"Calm down, Lady!" Kyo pleaded. "Don't shoot! I didn't know you were here! I'm here with my family."

"Family? What family! Get out of my house!" the blonde woman shouted.

The woman grabbed Kyo and lifter him over her head. She slipped a little and fell from being too hasty. She landed on top of Kyo and Kyo turned cat form. The woman screamed and jumped out of the tub.

"What the hell is this?" she screeched. "Who the hell are you? I know you're not him! Don't mock me!"

Tohru ran flew down the stairs and slid across the floor outside of the bathroom. She caught her balance and landed on her butt in front of the doorway. The gun clicked and was ready to shoot her brains out.

"Get out of my house," the blonde woman ordered.

Tohru thought for a moment and then crawled into the bathroom with her head down. She grabbed her son and sat at the woman's feet.

"I- I'm so sorry. I'll take my family and leave. We didn't know that someone lived her. I'm sorry. Yuki!" Tohru called.

The blonde woman yanked Tohru to her feet and examined her body up to her face slowly.

"T- Tohru?" she cried.

Tohru looked up from her son's furry head with one eye closed. Her other eye opened quickly.

"Uo! Arisa Uotani!" Tohru yelped.

Kyo looked up and stared at Uo and started to claw at Tohru's shirt.

"Uo, this is my son, Kyo. I know it was wrong but he was conceived the day Kyo died. So we named him Kyo."

"You had sex the day my boyfriend died?"

"I'm sorry. It started as comfort but it ended differently."

"Did you get the man who killed Kyo?"

"Yes, he's dead," Hatori replied from behind.

"How long have you been living here?" Yuki asked from upstairs.

"I'll be right back," Tohru told them and put Kyo down.

Uo looked at Tohru. She petted his orange head and looked at him.

"Your hair is just like his," Uo breathed.

"You were his girlfriend?" Kyo asked.

"Yeah, but he was killed soon after he confessed his love to me. I miss him. I should have told him that I loved him before he told me."

"I'm sure he knew that you loved him in his heart."

"You really are your mother's son. Who's your dad?"

"Yuki is my dad."

"I wish I went to the wedding but I just couldn't get away from here. That's when I moved here."

Yuki was wheeled into the bathroom with Tohru behind him. Uo looked at Yuki and had a puzzled look on her face.

"Yuki was shot and crippled by the man who killed Kyo, Akito."

Uo cringed and stepped out into the living room. She settled herself down on the couch and took out some beer from a small fridge. Tohru watched her old friend drink the poison pee colored liquid and winced.

"Want?" Uo offered.

"No thank you," they all replied.

Tohru passed Kyo his clothes and the cat ran off as he began to transform back into his human self.

"So, Prince Charming you treating Tohru well? If your not you'll be more than crippled," Uo asked.

"He treats me like a queen. He spoils Kyo ad me a lot," Tohru replied.

"I see. You only deserve the best Tohru," Uo reminded.

"Oh no, it's actually too much. I don't deserve such treatment," Tohru said modestly.

"I don't see why you would be living here. Why is it that you wanted to live here in the house that your boyfriend died in?" Yuki wondered aloud.

"Because this is where he told me that he loved me. This is where Tohru lived for a long time and it holds many happy memories for me."

"What happened to Hana?" Tohru queried.

"I'm not sure but I think she got married to someone from Yuki's family. You can try to track her down. Whenever I tried there was no trace of where she could be. What scared me is that once I was searching and she was put under deceased but Hana wouldn't be dead she's much stronger than that," Uo answered.

"We should find Hana. Akito may have known about you both and ordered for you to cause us pain by killing you. Even though he's dead people still answer to his last wishes," Yuki told her.

"It's very dangerous to do anything that has to do with the past and our families," Hatori advised.

"That's true," Tohru concurred.

"We need Hana to fit together how that writer guy died," Uo whispered.

"How did you know about that?" Yuki demanded.

"Because they wanted me to tell them where the two of you went. They wanted you to kill him Yuki so that it would look like some sort of act of vengeance for the fact that he was the reason that your brother was killed. Your family told me all about it they filled me in with every single little detail."

Tohru sat quietly and she took Yuki's hand in hers.

"My brother's death would be a cover for the death of another man! They have no respect for the departed! So then they had a purpose to kill Ayame! That's sick!" Yuki raged.

"They killed many people to kill my father?" Ichigo asked as he came down the steps.

"Yes."

Ichigo slipped into a seat and put his head in his hands. He shook his head in disbelief. His face frowned and he looked at himself. He was only alive because other people died to protect his parents. His life was nothing but part of a scheme. He felt as if his life was some unforgivable sin.

"None of this is your fault," Tohru prompted.

"Then why do I feel like it is?"

"Because you're alive and people are dead. As noble as intentions were your parents had guilt of other people's deaths on their heads and you feel it as a tremendous burden to carry on what they had started," Yuki told him.

Ichigo stepped into the crushed garden in the back of his father's estate. He sat where his father once sat with Hatori smoking their cigarettes and staring at the trees and the sky. He was outside and not in and he had freedom when others did not.

* * *

**Inside**

"Then it's settled? We'll find Hana?" Uo made sure of.

"That's right," Yuki replied.

"You can all stay here and we'll start tomorrow if you want," Uo proposed.

"Okay."

The day finished and night began. Ichigo sat on his father's unmade bed with the floor covered in papers, pens, anything a great writer needed to do anything. He shifted through the mess of pictures and made piles where he could find room.

"He wasn't known for being neat. They say that the messier someone is the smarter they are. I wouldn't say that this applied to your father by looking at the sty," Hatori said.

Ichigo picked up a piece of paper that seemed to be scribbled in a rush.

_Dear Son/ Daughter,_

_If you are reading this then I am most likely dead. I know that it seems strange but in a dream I could see myself dying or disappearing. I took it that whomever got possession of you would take you here to teach you more about me. I really wish I could tell you that I love you. I don't know you but if you are my child then there is no doubt in my mind that I would love you. You are a Sohma and most likely cursed. As your father I can only tell you this, if you want happiness you have to create it, if you want hate, anger, and sorrow you must destroy your happiness. But most importantly you have to be yourself and love yourself more than anything else in the world. If you don't then who will? I know I will but it's most likely that I'm no longer there. I love you._

_Love,_

_Your father, Shigure Sohma_

Ichigo dripped tears on the letter and folded it up and placed it in his pocket.

"What is it? Why are you crying?" Hatori asked.

"My father really loved me even though he never knew me. His morals were strange but his heart was very much pure and they killed him. He sounded like a good man and they killed him! I'll kill all of them. I'll kill everyone who loved and actually cared for that bastard, Akito. If he were alive I would murder him myself and I would avenge my father," Ichigo vowed.

"Your father wouldn't want that for his son. He would want you to let it go and most importantly he would want you to be yourself. He believed that if you weren't yourself than no one else could ever be. Shigure knew that his son wouldn't be a murderer. Don't be what your father wouldn't be proud of."

"You knew my father very well didn't you?"

"Since he was four I was just stuck with your father. He was a pain in my side but I couldn't stop being his friend no matter what he did. He was a much better man than I could ever hope to be. Do your father proud and don't do anything that he may not have approved of. I will be your father's voice."

"What do you mean my 'father's voice'? You'll take me in?"

"Yes."

"Thank you."

Hatori smiled for a second and then Ichigo turned out the light and allowed himself to fall asleep. He wasn't alone anymore he had Tohru, Yuki, Kyo, and now Hatori behind him as back up.

A dark figure stood at the window of Tohru's old room. The tree branch looked like a pathway into the house but the figure just stood outside and watched Tohru and Yuki sleep with a smile and a sigh of relief.

* * *

Well? What did you think? Hatori is now Ichigo's unofficial guardian and someone is watching over them. Who is it? It could be anyone… Bye- bye! 


	5. Guardian Angel

I'm on roll so let's get the ball rolling itself!

* * *

Chapter 5: Guardian Angel

Birds sang outside and the smell of Tohru's delectable cooking was in the air. The fresh aroma of fresh flowers greeted them in every room. Tohru had made the house what it once was except for the singe marks in Yuki's old bedroom. Kyo's shrine was joined by one of Ayame, one of Shigure, and Reiko.

"I wasn't aware that he still had pictures of her after that first incident. But, he kept one, the one that ended everything," Hatori sighed as he shuffled through Shigure's desk.

"You're right, I didn't want to read this," Ichigo admitted.

Ichigo put the book back on the table and sat back on the couch.

"Everyone, breakfast is ready," Tohru called.

All of them joined together and dug in. The figure from the night before sat on the backbench with someone next to them.

"Do you smell that?" one asked.

"It smells so good," a man answered.

They sat hand in hand and laughed quietly together. The two got up and walked through Shigure's still beautiful garden. Joy followed them with every step and love chased them.

The house felt a cold shiver and heads turned towards the garden.

"I'll go check it out," Yuki said and left.

Yuki wheeled onto the back porch and went down a plank of wood that Kyo found and put as a ramp for him. He moved to the garden and saw a whisp of hair before it went off. He began to chase them as fast as his hands would move. The owner of the hair went behind the man she had been with and Yuki stopped in front of them and looked up after shaking his hands. His eyes widened.

"Haru?" he gasped.

"Yuki?" Haru replied.

"What are you doing here?" they asked in unison.

The girl ducked behind the man and Haru grabbed her from behind to stop her from shaking.

"Who's behind you?" Yuki asked.

"No one. She's no one."

"I think that you can let him see me now, Haru," the girl whispered.

Haru let his grasp get lighter and finally he let go. Hana poked her head out from behind him and he put his arm around her. Yuki watched amazed as Haru held her tight.

"How are you doing this?" Yuki breathed.

"It's amazing actually-" Haru began.

"Hana!" Uo shouted with glee, Tohru close behind.

The two girls rushed past the men and hugged their last installment of their group. Hana beamed and Haru turned to watch his girlfriend bask in her friends' limelight. He smiled and Yuki yanked at him.

"How are you able to hold her?" Yuki pushed.

"Not now," Haru whispered. "She looks so beautiful right now."

Yuki grabbed him and moved forward.

"Why are you so slow?" Haru asked and finally looked down. "What happened to you?"

"Akito."

* * *

Haru followed Yuki back into the house and they went into Tohru's room.

"How can you hold her?" Yuki tried once more.

"Kisa met a guy and was very happy. But, she wanted him to be able to hold her. So she went to a school that she could make her dream come true. Hiro wanted her to be happy and helped her make it happen. Notice anything new?"

"What? No."

"Take a look at this," Haru retorted pushing his fist in Yuki's face.

Yuki stared at a ring with a black stone on it. It was engraved **H&H**.

"As long as I wear this ring and Hana wears hers then we're together and we'll be able to hug and kiss all we want. All they needed was to combine the two people's DNA and we used these as our engagement rings. Kisa and Hiro are making us wedding bands also. They can probably make you some too."

Yuki nodded and looked at Haru's hand in amazement.

"Kisa did this? She almost broke the curse. That means that maybe we can get rid of the curse all together," Yuki thought.

"Anyway, I hope that we can all be free one day. The fate of the Sohma family is disastrous and we should fix it so that other children will not have to suffer through the pain that we had to go through."

"Haru, you've changed a lot."

"Yeah, well whatever."

"So, your getting married? Did they find a new head of the family?"

"No, not yet. They seem to be following someone though. I'm not sure. I haven't been to Sohma house in three years. Maybe it's time to go back, Yuki."

"No, I will not put my family in danger to see if they found another head."

"Yuki, you can just come with me. We'll leave the rest here. What do you say? This is our family we should take Hatori and go check it out."

"No, it's too dangerous to go back if they're still after us."

"Yuki, I just want to see it again. I won't go alone and there's no way that I'm taking Hana."

"Fine, Haru. Your persistence could end your life some day. We'll leave tomorrow morning."

* * *

Haru nodded and explained this to Hatori who reluctantly agreed to come. That night Haru stroked Kana's long black hair as they lay in bed. The sound of Hana's soft snoring soothed him and he looked at the clock. 6 o'clock. Haru rose and tucked his fiancée under the covers and kissed her on the cheek. She stirred a little and turned over as he smiled.

"I'll be back later," he whispered.

Haru got dressed and headed downstairs to see Yuki and Hatori waiting. As the two turned around he saw them for the first time. Kyo and Ichigo followed their fathers and Haru ran in front of them.

"I thought you didn't want to put your family in danger," Haru said.

"It's their family too. They have our curse they are bonded," Hatori replied.

"Fine," Haru grunted.

Steps from up stairs were heard and Hana appeared on the landing of the stairs.

"Where are you going?" she inquired.

"To Sohma house. You know you can't come with me," Haru responded.

"I'm going with you. We will not part! We haven't in four years! Don't break it now," Hana pleaded.

"Come on then, if they will risk those guys' lives then I'll protect yours."

Hana was already dressed so she clung to Haru's arm and closed her eyes.

"They're so in love," Uo sighed to Tohru from the stairs.

"It's cute," Tohru murmured.

"You'll let your son go back their? Even when they killed the other cat?"

"I have no choice. He will do what he wants. He's just like his father and Kyo."

"Yeah, I guess so."

* * *

The car zoomed off along the dirt roads that led into the streets of the city. Hana rested her head on Haru's shoulder and his head rested on hers. They arrived at Sohma house within the hour. The smell of New Year's was looming in the air. The houses were quiet; everyone was at the main gate preparing.

"It's so big," Kyo said amazed. "It's like they have their own little town in here."

Ichigo touched the trees, it just didn't seem real that he was truly there. He felt like he had been here before. Like he was seeing through his father's soft, gentle eyes. They walked to Hatori's old office.

The room was overturned and dusty. No one had been there since he left. They must have searched the room to see if they could find anything about where Shigure went. Hatori closed his eyes and could feel her presence she was still alive in here. With his eyes closed he walked around the room and followed the scent of a familiar perfume. He opened his eyes and looked on the ground. There it was the frame's glass shattered but the picture in tact.

"Kana," he breathed.

He held her picture in his hands and tears dropped. She must not have ever remembered him but he still lived on in her heart. He hid in the back of her mind for so long and he disappeared. But, she was there on that day Akito died, he felt her.

"Hatori!" a voice pierced his ears and he turned around suddenly.

The rest of them stared at him as he walked over to a corner of the room. A pure white hand lay there. He moved the desk and kneeled down at the owner of the hand's side. He took the hand and placed it on his face. It was warm and he kissed the owner. Hatori cried tears that he hadn't in fifteen years.

* * *

Well, I like that. It's fun to write and it's fun to get good reviews. Join me in the next chappie! See yah! 


End file.
